BACKGROUND: Mistreatment of adults, including abuse, neglect, and exploitat
ion, affects more than 1.8 million older Americans. Presently, there is a l
ack of precise estimates of the magnitude of the problem and the variabilit
y in risk for different types of mistreatment depending on such factors as
age and gender.
OBJECTIVES: To describe the universe of case reports received during one ye
ar in a centralized computer database maintained by the Texas Department of
Protective and Regulatory Services-Adult Protective Services Division (TDP
RS-APS).
DESIGN: Descriptive.
SETTING: Texas.
PARTICIPANTS: Mistreated or neglected older people.
MEASUREMENTS: The distribution of abuse types reported and population preva
lence estimates of each abuse type by age and sex.
RESULTS: There were over 62,000 allegations of adult mistreatment and negle
ct filed in Texas in 1997. Neglect accounted for 80% of the allegations. Th
e incidence of being reported to the TDPRS-APS increased sharply after age
65. The prevalence was 1,310 individuals/100,000 greater than or equal to 6
5 years of age for all abuse types.
CONCLUSIONS: The TDPRS database is an excellent tool for characterizing and
tracking cases of reported elder mistreatment. Achieving a clearer underst
anding of this ever-increasing public health problem can aid in the develop
ment of better interventions and prevention strategies.